Nov 19th 2016

Kim Morski: Populace Mechanics

@ Spudnik Press Cooperative

1821 W Hubbard, Suite 302, Chicago, IL 60622

Opening Saturday, November 19th, from 7PM - 10PM

On view through Saturday, December 31st

Spudnik Press Cooperative presents new work by Denver-based artist Kim Morski. The exhibition, titled “Populace Mechanics” will feature prints, artist books and handmade objects that explore the themes of secrecy, privacy, and the compartmentalization of information in covert U.S. military and scientific operations.

In 2013, Morski learned about a series of secret tests conducted in St. Louis, Missouri shortly after WWII in which the U.S. Army worked with scientists to spray residential areas with zinc cadmium sulfide. Since then, her artwork has responded to simliar little-known histories as well as broadly addressing the underlying themes of willful deception and complicit action.

Doubling and duality is a central visual and conceptual device throughout all of the work. In Populace Mechanics, doubles occur in the form of repeated symbols and motifs, divided compositions, as well as text or imagery with inferred double meaning.

In several prints, insidious clouds billow in the background of isolated figures engaged in various kinds of work. A looming planet-like orb in one print echoes the crosshairs of a large, white circled “X” from another. Bricks, which appear in 2D and 3D form, specifically refer to secret military testing done in St. Louis, but they also represent a psychological burden. While the narrative within the artwork refers to specific people and events, it is intentionally abstracted and symbolic, allowing for multiple levels of interpretation.

Populace Mechanics will kick-off with an Artist Talk at 7:00 p.m. on November 19, followed by the Opening Reception.

The exhibition runs through December 31, 2016. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5pm, or by appointment.

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